She sent the file over and then glanced at the clock, pleased to see that there was only half an hour before she could go home for the evening. She cleared off her desk and then had twenty minutes before she could clock out. She looked at her phone and then swiped the screen, once more opening the file with Joel’s personal information in it.
She to the beach she’d been daydreaming about, and she felt sad knowing that it would never come to fruition. Joel had been a senior when she’d been a freshman. Even then, he’d been out of her league. Now, well, now … he was a professional athlete and used to dating beautiful models with their mountains of hair, skinny bodies, and perfectly made-up faces. She didn’t know if they had personalities or not, but comparing herself to them, her character and personality were her best-selling points. How is he to ever see that through this online app? Even if we might have some things in common, he’ll never see it by using this app. And besides, I know what Joel actually looks like, but someone else — what’s to prevent them from uploading pictures of other people to the site?
She closed her phone and then clocked out and headed for her nightly bar date with Steph. She needed to push these fanciful notions about Joel out of her mind and focus on her main goal – get enough evidence against the dating site to shut it down. That was her goal, and she just needed to keep it in mind. Before she could change her mind, she swiped his picture to the right, letting him know she’d been up for getting together for a date with him. It was so easy, and yet so impersonal. I can’t see how anything like this ever works.
*****
Joel had had a hard day at practice and was looking forward to a quiet night at home. He was relieved when he pulled into his parking spot and found the one next to it empty. He’d not had a peaceful night at home in weeks. He got off the elevator, dumped his bag by the front door, and kicked off his shoes. He headed for the kitchen and pulled one of the ready-made microwave dinners from the freezer. He had a housekeeper and a personal cook who kept his house clean and his kitchen stocked with quick healthy food choices.
His phone dinged and he swiped his thumb across the screen. He was surprised to see a notification from the Duets app that he’d been matched. “That was fast.”
The microwave dinged and he removed his dinner, transferred it to a plate, and then carried it along with a bottle of sparkling water and his phone to the dining table. He took a bite of the lasagna the cook had made last week and closed his eyes in appreciation.
A few minutes later, he looked at his phone again, waiting while it loaded the profile of the person who the app’s algorithm had determine was a ninety-eight percent match. Her name was Veronica Samuels, and she was a twenty-two-year-old law school graduate.
Her picture was still loading, and he rolled her name around inside his head. It sounded familiar, but he didn’t know…his eyes went wide as he looked at the picture of the little cutie who had always made him stop and take a second look his senior year of high school. He’d never acted on it, but his closest friends had known how intrigued he was by her.
This picture was an older version but the same girl without a doubt. Veronica Samuels. Roni. Her dark hair fell around her shoulders, dark lashes fringed her expressive deep blue eyes and her complexion was flawless. She was just as gorgeous as he remembered, but now she was grown up and she’d invited him to contact her.
Joel finished his dinner and then decided to accept her invite. He swiped to the right and set his phone on the table. He was halfway to the kitchen with his dishes when his phone chimed. That was fast.
He cleaned up his dinner dishes and then settled on the couch with his phone. Veronica had messaged him.
V: Hello, Joel! My name is Veronica.
J: Hey. How are you?
V: I’m good. Is now a good time to talk?
J: Sure.
V: Okay :) You probably don’t remember me, but we went to the same high school.
J: I actually do remember you. I think you were a freshman my senior year?
V: Yes. Wow, a long time ago! So, have you been using this app for long?
J: I just signed up recently. I’m not very good at texting and wasn’t sure how well this would work. How about you?”
V: I just signed up yesterday.
J: So, we're both newbies :) Your profile said you just graduated with a law degree?
V: Yes, from Harvard.
J: Wow! That’s something. Ivy League and all that. Wasn’t your dad a lawyer?”
V: No, my mom. I kind of followed in her footsteps.
J: That’s cool. I got my love of football from my dad. Sorry, I’m kind of slow with the texting thing.
V: That’s okay. I’m getting better at it. This whole online dating thing seems a little weird to me.
J: I agree. Maybe we should meet in person?
V: That sounds good. Coffee tomorrow?
J: Sure. Where at?
V: The Bean, Downtown?
Joel cringed at her suggestion. There was no way they’d have any privacy at all in such a high-profile location. He thought quickly and then answered back:
J: How about the Liberty Hotel?
V: For coffee?
J: Sure. How about right after work?
V: Okay. It’s Friday and I get off at 3 o’clock tomorrow.
J: I’ll be done with practice by then, too.
V: OK, cool. I guess I’ll see you there.
J: Looking forward to it.
V: Me too :)
Joel was smiling as he pushed his phone away. He had a date with the beautiful Veronica tomorrow afternoon. He was glad that she’d suggested meeting in person. He hated messaging and had never quite gotten the hang of all the abbreviations even though he grew up with them. He much preferred speaking to someone in person, but he also knew that messaging and texting was part of life and relationships. It didn’t mean he had to like it, though. Maybe he should have been born before the IT revolution instead of after? Then again, all his investments in new startups wouldn’t have happened 30 years ago. Technology had brought about exciting changes.
He went to bed a few hours later, the anticipation putting a smile upon his face. She’d been a quiet little thing in high school, but from what he could remember, a sweet girl. He re-read her profile again and was once more stunned at how well-suited they appeared to be. He would never have thought a computer program could match people together, but it seemed that Derick had a winner here.
Chapter 6
The following day...
Veronica was petrified. She’d just gotten off from work and was headed for the nearest drugstore. In her mind, she’d gone through a variety of emotions since agreeing to meet Joel for a cup of coffee this afternoon. When he’d first suggested the high-end Liberty Hotel, Veronica had thought he was being self-important and flaunting his status around.
Then her thoughts had gone down a deep, dark tunnel where Joel wasn’t the nice guy he seemed to be, but some sort of serial criminal, luring young females to go out with him. Once he had them all alone, he mistreated them. Veronica wasn’t willing to even put that to the test, and she walked into the drugstore with a goal in mind. She walked out fifteen minutes later with pepper spray, a taser, and an oversized security whistle. She tucked the taser away in the side pocket of her purse, clipped the pepper spray onto her keychain, and then slipped the chain of the whistle over her neck and tucked the whistle down between her breasts, underneath her shirt.
The Liberty Hotel was only a couple of blocks away and she decided upon leaving the drugstore that moving her car would be more trouble than it was worth. This time of the afternoon, most people were still at work, and that would mean limited parking spaces being available. It was 3:20 p.m. right now, giving her ten minutes to walk to the hotel and find Joel. An easy walk and since she’d worn her black boots this morning, not an uncomfortable one.
She disposed of her trash and then set off. She could see her destination rising above the shorter buildings and tur
ned her thoughts to her possible responses should this meeting turn disastrous. She could always yell for help, making sure to attract as much attention as possible. She’d heard horror stories about people trying to use pepper spray, only to have it blow back in their own faces, momentarily blinding them and preventing them from reaching safety.
Okay, so using the pepper spray should be my last resort. Scream, use my hands and feet however I can, blow the whistle, and if I can reach it — the taser. I just need to make sure he’s not holding me when I discharge the taser, or I’ll end up shocking myself. That would hurt.
She reached the Liberty Hotel, and the minute she stepped inside, all thoughts of tasers and pepper spray faded away. She’d never been inside this particular building and was frozen for a long moment as she took in the foyer that looked like something out of a travel magazine.
Tall marble columns rose at least two stories, sitting atop marble floors with veins of gold running through them. Large flower arrangements and the beginnings of a gorgeous Christmas display were being set up in the enormous lobby. Beyond the registration desks, she could see an amazing atrium that led to the elevators and the onsite eating establishments.
She wandered in the direction of the eating establishments, looking up once inside the atrium only to realize that it extended the entire height of the hotel; all twenty floors. She looked down and then around at the various decks and eating spaces scattered around the first floor. She slowly walked toward the one advertising with a coffee cup, amazed that she didn’t feel entirely out of place inside this heavenly hotel. In fact, she felt almost peaceful and in the best of moods. Gone were her dire dreams of what might happen, and in their place was a sense of being right where she was supposed to be.
It was funny because in all the elegant places she’d been for work, this was not one of them.
She rounded a pot with a large fern fanning its leaves all over, and she immediately spotted Joel. He was sitting so that he could see her, and the moment their eyes connected, the sparks began to fly between them.
Veronica walked toward him, her pulse kicking up and her mouth going dry. He was so gorgeous, with his dark hair and dark eyes. Eyes that were taking in every inch of her own appearance and appeared to like what they were seeing. Having his gaze so intently fixated on her was unnerving in a way.
She continued to walk to where he was, doing her best to keep her thoughts and emotions from showing on her face. She didn’t really know anything about this man, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to show him just how attractive she found him. Not just yet.
He stood up when she approached and held out his hand. She took it, feeling the sparks fly between them. He was wearing dark trousers with a definite crease running down the front of each leg. The light blue button-up shirt was open at the neck, but she could easily see him with it closed up and an elegant tie gracing his neck. She found herself wondering if his skin would taste salty there, or if he’d showered well before coming here. By the looks of it, he’d scrubbed himself clean from top to toe.
His hair was combed with the longer hair of his bangs curled over his forehead. He was wearing some tangy cologne that had her senses sitting up and begging for more. It was alluring and only seemed to heighten her reaction to him. The years since high school had most definitely been good to him, and she smirked at her own mental ramblings as she scanned his physique, wondering if the parts of him that disappeared beneath the tabletop had seen the same benefits and growth.
She knew she looked nothing like she had in school. A late bloomer, Veronica hadn’t really started developing her chest until she was in her junior year. She was now what many would call voluptuous, and while not as big as some girls, she made it a point not to run up or down any staircases if it could be avoided.
“Wow. Veronica, you’re looking stunning.”
“You’re not bad yourself,” she murmured as she released his hand and took the chair he held out for her.”
“I’m so glad you could join me.” The waiter quietly appeared, and Joel asked her, “Do you know what you want?”
Veronica nodded. “Coffee with just a splash of cream, no sugar.”
Joel passed along her order and his own and then added a tray of pastries. “So, you’ve just come from work. Did you have a good day?”
Veronica nodded. “I did, actually. I work at the statehouse for the 5th District’s senator.”
“Wow.”
“I took this gig with the senator’s office to gain some experience. I want to practice judicial law.”
“Which is?” he asked.
“It’s the kind of law that governs and oversees other judicial processes. So, what about you? Did you have a good practice?”
“One of my better ones. We should have a good game Sunday even though we’re going to be down a couple of key players. Do you like football?”
“Sometimes.” She listened to him talk about the team and all the charity events that were coming up for the holiday season. She was so impressed by him, from the way he’d dressed to impress, to the fact that he seemed to be giving back to the community continually.
“It’s terrific to see you again,” he told her while they waited for the coffee to arrive.
“You remember me?” she asked in disbelief.
“Yes. Let’s see. You were several years behind me. A freshman my senior year?” he guessed.
“Yes. I didn’t think you ever noticed me.”
“Oh, I noticed you. My buddies used to tease me about it because I never had the nerve to come up and talk to you.”
“You weren’t shy,” Veronica told him, confused as to what he was getting at.
“No, it wasn’t shyness. It was more like a crazy crush over someone unattainable.”
Veronica had no response to that and changed the subject. “I was really surprised to see someone from back home.”
“Me too, but in a good way. I have to just put this out there, but Roni – you still go by that nickname?” When she nodded, he smiled and then continued talking, “Roni, you are breathtaking. And I don’t say that lightly. It’s true.”
“Thank you. I’m kind of amazed that I’m sitting here with you, as well.”
“I believe it. Are your parents still around?” he asked.
“Living in the same house. Yours?”
“They moved to Florida a few years back. No snow.”
Veronica smiled. “No, I’ve not heard of any nor’Easters coming ashore in Miami.”
“Me, either.” He took a sip of his coffee; it had arrived while they were talking. “So, tell me more about yourself.”
“I’d rather hear about the stories and places you’ve been. Those swimming and water sports pictures could not have been taken anywhere local.”
“Definitely not. Some were taken in Belize and others in Hawaii. Do you like to travel?”
“I think I would like it, but since I’ve never ventured further from the old neighborhood than the District, I really can’t make a good assessment.”
“You should travel when you get the chance.”
Veronica decided as soon as they finished their coffee she would excuse herself, telling him she had some work she needed to get finished tonight for a non-existent meeting in the morning. The longer she sat with him, the more intimate and stronger the attraction flowing between them seemed to be getting.
“So, can I ask about the billboard for Duets?” she spoke into the silence.
“Sure,” Joel smiled. “Derick is a friend from college and asked me to help him out.”
“So, he got some free advertising?”
“Not hardly,” Joel chuckled. “My agent would have a conniption if I ever did that. No, Derick paid me, and I used the money for some special projects I’m involved with. It worked out well for all involved.”
“It sounds like it,” she concurred. She was slightly curious about the projects he mentioned, but she didn’t ask, and he didn’t volunteer any more inform
ation. Instead, she reached for her purse, saying, “It’s getting late.”
“I had a nice time,” he told her as he stood up when she rose.
“So did I.”
“Maybe we could do this again?”
“Maybe,” she gave him a quick smile. “Thank you for the coffee.”
“No problem.”
“I do need to go,” she told him with an apology in her voice.
“I understand. Have a good night.”
The Right Swipe Page 5
